Clockwork Prince
by Readoholic97
Summary: this takes place after the end of clockwork angel and combines the characters from the mortal instruments and infernal devices. Clary's gift with runes and creating portals is more powerful than anyone realised, and Will and Jaces ego's clash.
1. Prologue

Rain lashed the windows as thunder peeled across the grey sky. Lightning flashed in the low, heavy clouds that covered London. The streets were a sea of large, black umbrellas, sheltering people from the sheets of rain as they went about their daily business.

Tessa Gray sat on a soft, cushioned chair beside the library window, gazing glumly out onto the wet, busy street below, clutching a thick book in her hands. 'A Tale of Two Cities' was one of her favourites, and one that she had read many times before. She sought comfort in the story, a way to escape her troubles and anxieties, letting the familiar words wash over her, taking her someplace she could think of as home.

_Home._ The institute was her home now, Tessa thought, with a happy jolt in her stomach. For a while, she had thought that Charlotte might have to kick her out, as she wasn't a Shadowhunter. But Charlotte had surprised her by asking her to stay, and live at the institute with her, Henry, Jem, Will, Jessamine and Sophie exactly a week ago. During the past week, Tessa could scarcely believe how lucky she was. One moment, she had thought she would have to be living on the streets, the next; she had a home, and a _Family._ They were her family now, and she was feeling very fond of all of them, even Jessie, who had told her just last night, that Tessa's fingernails were awful, and that Tessa would have suited curly hair better, as it would have made her look far less dim-witted and plain. The possible exception was Will, who had been perfectly horrid towards Tessa since that night, when the Magister had attacked the institute.

_Will._ Tessa pushed all thoughts of him from her mind. She had barely spoken to him since he had said those horrible things to her, after Charlotte had asked her to stay. Thinking of Will just meant being miserable, and Tessa didn't need Will to add to her already long list of troubles. Sighing, Tessa opened her book and tried to ignore the heavy roar of the rain, pounding on the roof of the institute. After 10 minutes of struggling to read over the noise, Tessa closed her book with another big sigh, and was about to stand up, thinking she would get herself some food from the kitchen, when voices just outside the library door told her that she was about to have company.

The door opened, and Jem walked in, closely followed by Will. They were talking about something to do with a rogue vampire in downworld London, but broke off when they saw Tessa. Jem immediately smiled at her, in a kind and welcoming sort of way. Will's reaction, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. His smile vanished, and when his eyes locked with Tessa's, they turned dark and cold. He looked as if he were about to turn and walk out, but before he could move, Jem asked,

"Would you mind if we joined you, Tessa?" He smiled as he said it, and Tessa knew she couldn't say no.

"Of course not", she said, smiling at Jem, ignoring Will's empty gaze.

Jem led the way to the table in the centre of the room. Will followed more slowly, and sat down opposite him. The library was lit by witchlight, not because it was very late, but because the storm outside made the inside of the library very dark indeed. The greenish light made Jem's hair seem ghostly, gleaming with a pale green tinge.

"Fancy a game of cards, Will?" he asked, his tone light and friendly.

"Sure, but you know I will probably win", he said with a confident grin, looking anywhere but at Tessa.

"We'll see about that!" Jem chuckled. "Would you like to play Tessa?" Jem turned to look at Tessa, still smiling.

"Oh, er, no, thank you Jem, I was just about to start reading", Tessa replied, flustered. She didn't like lying to Jem, but the possibility of playing cards with Will was even less appealing, at the moment.

"Ah, I don't blame you. Will is a notorious cheater," Jem said, looking slightly disappointed.

"I am not! How dare you suggest such a thing!" Will replied, mockingly indignant.

Tessa opened her book again, resigned to the fact she would have to spend at least the next half hour struggling to read over that horrible rain. _Curse this horrible London weather_, she thought.

At that moment, Sophie walked in, carrying that day's newspaper. Ignoring Will, she smiled at Tessa, then turned to Jem and said,

"Would you like to read the paper? Only Henry has finished with it, and I thought someone else would like to have a look at it before I threw it away",

"Much obliged, Sophie, that was very thoughtful", Jem replied, smiling.

"No problem", Sophie said, "would you like a cup of tea?"

"Yes please, if it isn't too much trouble" Jem said

"And would you like one too, miss?" Sophie turned to Tessa.

"That would be lovely, Sophie", Tessa smiled. Sophie left the room with a little curtsy, and shut the door behind her with a soft click.

Will amused himself with the pack of cards, while Jem picked up the newspaper and turned to the front page, scanning the headlines for anything interesting. Sophie returned after a few minutes, with two cups of tea on a tray, which she placed on the table for Jem and Tessa. She bobbed another little curtsy, acknowledging their thanks, and left the room without another word.

Jem set aside the paper, and engaged Will in a fierce game of 'snap', followed by a round of 'old maid', then 'Go fish'. Just as they were finishing their second game of 'Donkey', the witchlights around them seemed to flicker slightly. Jem and Will broke off their game, and looked curiously at the lights.

"That's strange", Will murmured, peering around the room as if an answer might suddenly pop up between the bookshelves.

"Perhaps a trick of the light", Suggested Jem, in a casual tone, although he looked slightly uneasy. They resumed their game, but it was more subdued, and Tessa could tell they were each listening carefully for any kind of disturbance. Probably their shadowhunter training. After about 5 minutes, it happened again, only this time, it was more pronounced. The light dimmed considerably for several seconds before flickering back to their full light, and dimming again.

"Something is definitely not right", Will said softly.

"But what?" Jem replied, equally quietly.

"Well if I knew that, I would probably be bragging about my infinite knowledge, now wouldn't I?"

"Yes, because that doesn't occur often" Jem snorted.

No sooner had the words left Jem's mouth, the witchlight went out completely. It was not very dark, however, as the green witchlight had been replaced by a soft, purplish glow. Looking around for the cause, Tessa saw that a swirling purple light was coming from a circle in the ceiling. She gasped softly, and Will and Jem looked up too.

"If I am not mistaken - and I rarely am - that is a portal", Will proclaimed, a slight edge to his voice.

"But you need permission from the Clave to open a portal", Jem frowned, looking mildly confused.

As he said that, the swirling suddenly sped up, getting faster and faster.

"Nevertheless, it seems we are about to have company", Will said softly, his eyes narrowing, "And I think it would be best if we had the element of surprise on our side, don't you think, Jem?"

"Yes, I agree", Jem returned, and without further ado, Will walked over to the nearest bookshelf and crouched down behind it, hiding himself from view. Jem turned to Tessa, whose eyes were wide with apprehension, and beckoned her over to crouch beside Will. She did, and Jem followed, making sure each of them was entirely hidden.

Then the lights went out completely, leaving them all in shadowy darkness.


	2. past and future meet

The swirling purple portal in the ceiling seemed to be getting bigger, and faster. Tessa, crouched between Jem and Will, gazed wide eyed, wondering what on earth was going to happen next. The boys were both sitting tense and rigid on either side of her. Tessa saw a gleam of silver in the corner of her eye, and turning her head slightly, she saw that Will was clutching a small dagger, runes clearly etched on the surface of the blade. Tessa gulped, and looked back towards the spiralling vortex.

All of a sudden, there was a shriek, and something fell from the ceiling, _through_ the portal. It landed with a thud on the ground, narrowly missing the table. Tessa gasped. It was a _girl_. A girl about her age by the look of her. She had curly red hair, and was dressed in black shadowhunter gear. She lay on her back, moaning slightly. Tessa arched her neck, and saw the same curly black designs that adorned all shadowhunters on her wrists and hands. She was holding a strange object, and as Tessa squinted, she realised in was a stele, but it looked different to the ones Jem and Will had.

Tessa glanced at Will, then Jem. They looked equally, if not more, shocked than she was. Though considering a strange girl had just fallen through the ceiling into the middle of the library, this was not altogether surprising.

Jem made a move to stand up, looking at the strange girl with concern, but Will's hand whipped out. He grabbed Jems wrist to stop him from moving, and shook his head slightly. Jem hesitated, then nodded, and crouched back down. That was just as well, because no sooner had this happened, there was a another muffled shout, and another person fell through the portal, landing directly on the girl. It was a boy, this time, and a very handsome one at that. He looked about the same age as Will, and was dressed similarly to the girl, in black shadowhunter gear. He had golden hair, and was clutching a witchlight stone in his hand.

The girl suddenly opened her eyes, and saw the boy.

She frowned. "Will you get _off _me Jace, I'm suffocating under here."

The boy named Jace grinned at her. "You didn't say please." The girl rolled her eyes, "_Please_ get off me then." she said peevishly.

"Certainly." Jace said, a smug look on his face. He rolled off her and sat up. She sat up too, rubbing the back of her head. Jace got up, and helped the girl to her feet.

"Well, I hate to break it to you Clary, but I don't think this is Idris." The boy named Jace said, gazing around the library with mild curiosity.

"Thank you, Mr Obvious." Clary muttered. "I think I'm gonna puke. Me and portals do _not_ mix." She grimaced. Jace frowned. "You know, that was a particularly rough portal. Did you do anything wrong, do you think?" he didn't say it with any accusations, and Clary frowned, thinking. "I don't_ think _I did, but I've been wrong before." she said thoughtfully.

She and Jace looked around the room, probably wondering where they were.

Clary wondered over to the window, while Jace walked over the table. Though he walked casually, and at ease, Tessa saw that his eyes were darting around the room, looking for movement, or any sign of trickery. She saw his eyes travel over the table, where the newspaper and cards sat, with the two cups of tea. His gaze narrowed unmistakably on the cups on tea, where steam was still wafting into the air. Will swore softly. The tea might have given them away. But at that moment Clary stared out the window overlooking the street and frowned.

"Hey, Jace? Come over here a minute?" she said nervously, a slight edge to her voice.

While Jace's back was turned away from them, walking towards Clary, Jem silently stood, and moved towards the library door. Tessa frowned, confused, then saw that Jem was in a position where he would be able to block the exit if these strange shadowhunters made to leave.

"What is it, Clary?" Jace asked, over by the window.

"That's the Thames." She said, pointing to the river in the distance.

"The Thames? Are you sure?" Jace asked, squinting out the window. Tessa suddenly realised with a jolt that their accents were American. How did she not notice that before?

"Positive," Clary replied. "Simon went on holiday to England once, and he sent postcards."

"So that means - " Jace began,

"We're in London." Clary stated.

"Clary," Jace said, in almost a whisper.

"Yes?" She replied, also quietly, alerted by his cautious tone of voice.

"We're also not alone," Jace said, barely moving his lips. Clary didn't show any reaction, except a slight widening in her eyes.

At that moment, Jem stepped out from his hiding place and placed himself in front of the door through to the hallway. Clary and Jace whirled, but they had no weapons. Then Will rose smoothly from his crouch, motioning for Tessa to stay where she was, and stepping away from the bookshelves. The strangers were now surrounded. Jace stepped forward slightly, as if to guard Clary.

Jace surveyed the newcomers, "I knew this was an institute." he said lightly, with the air of someone commenting on the weather.

Jem eyed them suspiciously. "Who authorised you to create a portal here?"

Jace raised his eyebrows. "My, my, cutting right to the chase. No, good morning? You Londoners aren't very polite are you?"

Will narrowed his eyes, "It's the afternoon, and answer the question." Jace frowned.

Clary stepped forward, "We had authorisation from the Clave, but we were meant to go to Idris, not London. We're from the institute in New York."

"New York?" Tessa's curiosity got the better of her. She stepped out from behind the shelves, and stared at the shadowhunters with renewed curiosity.

They looked startled. Jem looked quite pleased to see her, but Will glared and muttered something that sounded like _'women'_. Tessa ignored him. She was getting quite good at that.

The purple light was fading now, the normal light gaining strength. Soon, the portal vanished, the ceiling smoking slightly where it had been.

"Well," Jem said, "I suppose we had better take you to see Charlotte, the head of the institute. Come along." He moved towards the door, beckoning, but he was interrupted.

"I'm sorry," Clary asked, a frown on her face, "but is this today's newspaper?"

"Yes, it is," Jem replied, looking politely confused.

"But, it says 1878!" She exclaimed.

"Well, yes, that's this year, you see." Will said slowly, as if Clary were stupid. She didn't look embarrassed, her frown just deepened. Tessa saw her shoot a panicked glance at Jace, who was also looking deeply disturbed. But over what? The date? These shadowhunters were strange, and if Tessa's gut was right, they were hiding a big secret.


	3. Decisions

Clary's mind was reeling as she and Jace followed the other shadowhunters down one dark corridor after another. _1878, it's impossible - isn't it? It would explain their clothes, and why the portal was rougher than usual - but to travel back in time? It can't be happening, it just can't! _

"Oh, where are my manners?" The boy with the silvery hair suddenly asked. He smiled at her and Jace. "My name is James Carstairs, but everyone calls me Jem. This is Tessa Gray" He added, motioning towards the pretty girl who seemed to be trying to get as far away from Will as possible.

Clary smiled and nodded politely, saying, "Nice to meet you, I'm Clary Fray."

Jace said nothing, simply regarded Jem with mild interest. Clary shot him a reproachful look, and said, "And this is Jace Lightwood."

If Jem noticed the slight hesitation before she said 'Lightwood', he didn't comment. The other boy with the dark hair, however gave her a long, searching gaze, looking slightly amused. Clary gazed defiantly back, until he looked away.

"And this is William Herondale, whom everyone calls Will." Jem said, flicking Will a slightly exasperated look.

Clary gasped in shock, and dropped her stele, which clanged loudly on the hard floor. She stopped in her tracks, and bent to pick up her stele. Everyone else stopped too, looking mildly surprised. When Clary straightened, her cheeks were flushed, and she tried not to stare at Will. She exchanged a meaningful glance with Jace, who had gone rather pale, his hands clenched into fists.

"Lightwood are you?" Will said, his eyes raking Jace, a smirk on his face. "That explains a few things."

Jace was as cool as ice. "Herondale. That also explains a few things." Will whitened, and looked sharply between Clary and Jace, as if trying to figure out their secret. Jace found Clary's hand and squeezed it.

The lights were almost back to normal now, just flickering slightly every now and then. The silence was thick and tense while they walked through cold, wide hallways. Finally, they reached their destination, a big meeting room occupied by a small lady sitting at the head of a huge, bare table. She had a book open in front of her, and she looked up as they all entered. Her face registered only shock as Jace and Clary walked in, following the two boys and Tessa. The lady looked questioningly at Jem, who obliged to fill her in.

"Jace, Clary, may I introduce Charlotte Branwell, the head of the institute here. Charlotte, this is Clary Fray and Jace Lightwood, they're from New York."

"New York? I apologise, I was not informed of your arrival." Charlotte seemed a tad suspicious after the name 'Lightwood' was mentioned.

"We didn't plan to come here at all, actually. We were on our way to Idris, via portal. We are as confused as you are as to how this happened." Jace spoke smoothly, charmingly. Will eyed him with increasing dislike.

"Well, I should probably contact the Clave, and get this mess sorted out, but I am afraid it will have to wait for morning. You two are welcome here as long as you wish." Charlotte said politely, looking slightly harassed.

"Thank you very much," Jace said graciously.

"I'll call Sophie in to make up some beds. Its getting quite late. You three will take care of our guests, wont you?" Charlotte asked the others, her sharp gaze lingering on Will. He flashed her a charming smile, and replied, "Of course, it would be our honour."

Charlotte suppressed a loud sigh, and left the room, presumably to look for Sophie.

An hour later, Clary was sitting in a small, bare bedroom, contemplating having a shower, when there was a tiny knock on the door. She walked over and opened it, relieved when she saw Jace standing there, leaning on the doorframe. She beckoned him in, and he sat down on her bed, pulling her down beside him.

"What are you thinking?" Clary whispered.

"Honestly, I don't know what to think. Time travel - its unheard of. As far as I know, not even the most powerful warlock could go back in time so much as ten seconds." Jace stood up and started pacing agitatedly, rubbing his knuckles and thinking hard.

"Is there any possibility that this is all some elaborate hoax?" Clary asked hopefully.

Jace shook his head slowly. "Even if it was, who would do it? And how would they do it?"

Clary bit her lip, unable to answer.

"But _I _made that portal! There was nothing to do with time in it, I swear!" Clary stated, her voice rising. Jace gestured for her to calm down, "Was there any way someone could have tampered with it, did you leave at all before it was finished?" Clary frowned, racking her brains. "Yes," she remembered, "I got a text from my mom, but I was only focussing on it for two seconds, and Magnus was there, so no-one could've - " she broke off, staring at Jace. "You don't think _Magnus_ could have anything to do with it?" her voice was barely a whisper, but it was obvious she was sceptical. Jace shrugged. "It's possible, but why would he do it?"

"No." Clary said, firmly, her eyes wide with fear, "I don't believe Magnus would have anything to do with it. Though he might know something about time travel - I mean, he is a warlock."

"Hey," she said, struck by a sudden thought, "Why don't we ask him?"

Jace stared at her as though she had suddenly sprouted antlers. "Er, Clary? The thing about being stuck back in time, is that we can't - "

"What I mean," Clary interrupted, cutting off his no doubt brilliant sarcastic comment, "Is that Magnus is a _warlock_. He doesn't _age_. He would be alive _right now_. In 1878."

Jace stared at her again, this time impressed. "You're right." He said. She smiled smugly.

"But how are we going to get to America? I don't want to risk another portal." Jace asked, running a hand through his hair. Clary's smug smile widened.

"We don't have to. Last week, he was telling Alec and I about this time he helped fight off an entire vampire clan. He said it was in the 1870's. And can you guess where he was living?" She asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Where?" Jace asked, increasingly incredulous.

"London." Clary smiled triumphantly.

"Well, that simplifies things." Jace said with a thin smile.

"Yeah," Clary agreed sarcastically, "Now all we have to do is convince a warlock who doesn't know us to help us make a portal to go forward in time, without changing anything in the past that may affect the future. Piece of cake."

"Well, when you put it like that," Jace grinned, pulling her gently towards him. She settled against his chest and sighed deeply. She loved the feel of his arms around her. She felt safe.

"So do we tell them? The other shadowhunters?" Clary asked, her voice muffled slightly. Jace hesitated. "I don't think that's such a good idea. While I know some of them would be decent, and help us get back, I think some other members of the Clave would want us to give them - information - about the future. So they can predict battles and know what's going to happen before it happens. We would be invaluable weapons." Jace finished bitterly.

"I guess you're right," Clary said, sighing again.

"You're tired." Jace whispered. It wasn't a question. "I'll see you in the morning." He leaned down and gently kissed her. She immediately wound her arms around his neck and pulled him deeper into the kiss. They didn't break apart for several seconds, but finally Jace left, closing the door softly behind him. Clary sighed again, this time in satisfaction, and settled down under the blankets on her bed, and drifted off to sleep. Her last thoughts were wishing they were able to get home again, before she sank into oblivion.


	4. Will meets his match

Clary woke the next morning to find a girl with long, black hair gently shaking her awake.

"Time to wake up, miss," the girl said softly. "Everyone is getting ready for breakfast."

Clary sat up and groggily looked up at the girl. The first thing she saw was a big ugly scar disfiguring the girls face. Clary's eyes immediately snapped back to the girl's, and she tried to ignore the scar. The last thing this girl needed was someone staring at her scar. Clary would have hated it if it were her.

"Oh, I don't really have anything to anything to wear," Clary said, feeling quite embarrassed.

"That is not a problem. Miss Jessamine is about the same size as you, if a little taller. I have one of her old dresses here for you." The girl told her, avoiding her eyes. Clary could tell that the girl had noticed her reaction to her face and was trying to keep it together. Clary felt horribly guilty.

"So, er, what's your name?" Clary asked, trying to break the awkward silence as she stumbled ungracefully out of bed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry miss, I hadn't introduced myself!" The girl exclaimed, "My name's Sophie, miss."

"Nice to meet you, Sophie. I'm Clary," Clary said with a smile.

"I know." Sophie replied, but she was smiling also. "Would you like some help putting on your dress, miss?" Sophie asked, a little more warmly now.

"Oh, er, yes, please." Clary answered, feeling it would be rude to refuse.

As it turned out, putting on the blue and green dress was no easy task. Sophie obviously knew what she was doing, but Clary was very confused at first, and it took them a while.

"I'm used to much simpler dresses." Clary said, trying to cover up her ignorance, while Sophie tied up Clary's hair in an elegant bun.

"Yes," Sophie agreed, "I'm sure the fashions in New York are much different to London. Shall I take you to the dining room, miss?" She added, finishing Clary's hair.

"Yes, er, much obliged, Sophie." Clary said, remembering a phrase Tessa had used before.

Sophie led the way out of Clary's room and took her down a series of corridors, before stopping at some big double doors.

"This is the dining room, miss, I'll leave you here." Sophie said.

"Thank you, Sophie, you've been so helpful." Clary replied, smiling warmly at the other girl, whom she liked very much.

Sophie smiled and left, disappearing into a doorway a little down the hallway.

Clary took a deep breath, which was quite hard with this ridiculous dress on, and turned the doorknob, before stepping into the dining room.

To her relief, she saw Jace was already seated, but to her exasperation, she saw that he was sitting opposite Will, and, it seemed, annoying the hell out of him.

She sighed and shook her head, walking over to where Jace was. She sat down beside him, and tried to avoid the burning gaze of William Herondale.

"Good morning Clary." Jace said cheerfully, smiling playfully at her.

"Morning," Clary replied cautiously, glancing between Will and Jace.

Jace had also had a 19th century make over. He was wearing clothes that looked almost identical to Will's, which made Clary think that they _were_ Will's clothes. It was hard to say who looked better in them, Will, or Jace.

Suddenly, Will's demeanour seemed to change. An amused smile was back on his face, and he surveyed Clary unashamedly. Clary sensed he was going to try and use her to annoy Jace. Was he going to flirt? That would probably get to Jace sooner then he would think.

Clary stared back unflinchingly. She was _not_ going to be used as some pawn in Will and Jace's little games.

Will's smile widened, as if he knew what she was thinking, and knew it wouldn't make an ounce of difference. Clary felt Jace tense beside her, and saw Will flick a casual glance at him. Will's smug expression confirmed for her that he knew he had found his mark. And he was going to use it.

Just then, Tessa and Jem walked in together. Jem's hand was courteously at her elbow, and they were both laughing. Jem smiled as he saw Will, but Tessa's laughter abruptly halted, and Will went pale. He looked down at his hands while her gaze was on him, his hands clenching and unclenching. Jem didn't seem to notice anything, but Clary saw that his smile had wavered a bit. He sat down beside Will, and after a slight hesitation, Tessa sat down beside Jem.

Clary and Jace glanced at each other. Something was definitely going on there.

Clary pitied Tessa. She had been in a similar position once, with Jace and Simon.

Jace, however, slowly turned to look at Will.

His face clearly said 'Two can play at that game'. Jace was smirking, while Will looked positively murderous.

Will may have found a target, but Jace definitely knew how to make Will tick.

Clary knew she had to intervene, and quickly, before this got ugly.

At that moment - thank god - Charlotte walked in with a man with ginger hair, who was talking animatedly about a special design of cogs and gears.

They sat down, Charlotte looking exhausted.

"Oh good, you're up." Charlotte said, addressing Jace and Clary. "This is my husband, Henry." Charlotte said, glancing fondly at the man, who was now wiping up some tea that he had spilt whilst reaching for the newspaper. Charlotte sighed, and went to his rescue, using napkin to mop up the worst of the mess.

The creaking door alerted Clary to yet another newcomer. This time a stunning girl with long, blonde hair, wearing a baby blue dress and lots of rings, swept into the room, her head held high. She gracefully sat down and began to delicately butter some bread. She glanced up with a haughty expression and surveyed Clary's dress.

"Oh yes, my dress is lovely isn't it? Pity it has to be worn by such a flat figure." She said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Clary stared at her for a minute, her mouth open. She glanced at Jace, beside her and saw he had his lips pressed tightly together to keep from laughing. She glared at him and he whispered hastily, "She's just jealous, you look beautiful." Clary rolled her eyes, but nudged him gratefully.

"That is Jessamine, otherwise known as Jessie." Jam said helpfully, glancing apologetically at Clary.

"Right, now that we are all here," Charlotte began, glaring pointedly at an unabashed Jessamine. "Jace, Clary, I will contact the Clave immediately after breakfast, no doubt you are anxious to get home."

"Actually," Jace began politely. 6 pairs of eyes swivelled towards him and stared. "We were hoping we could talk to someone, while we are in the area. That is, if you don't mind putting up with us for another day." Jace smiled.

"Who would you like to talk to?" Charlotte asked, half suspicious, half curious.

"Magnus Bane." Clary said. "He's a warlock."

"Why do you want to talk to him?" Will asked, his eyes narrowed. He seemed slightly panicky about it.

"That is private business, regarding some friends of ours."Jace replied smoothly.

"Well, I'm sure that won't be a problem. I can call him in now if you like." Charlotte said.

"Oh no, that won't be necessary, I am sure you have enough to deal with, without us adding to your problems." Jace stated graciously. "If you can tell us where he is, I am sure we can go find him."

Charlotte looked at him for a moment, then switched her gaze to Clary. Apparently deciding they were sincere, she grabbed a paper and pen, and wrote something down.

"This is his address. It isn't hard to find. Though perhaps someone could go with you. Will, Jem?"

"We would be delighted." Jem said, smiling. Will just nodded.

"Great!" Jace said. "Let's go talk to Magnus."


	5. Magnus Bane

Magnus Bane was annoyed when he heard the doorbell tolling through the big empty house. He had been reclining in a comfortable armchair, sipping his morning cup of tea, after eating an extremely satisfying breakfast. At first he ignored the visitors, faintly hoping they would leave if they thought no-one was home. Alas, it was not to be. Magnus sighed deeply as he got to his feet, heading down the long, grand hallway leading to the front door. Really, there was no such thing as a quiet life as a Warlock.

The visitors were now banging insistently on the front door, and Magnus vaguely wondered who it was. Hopefully someone he could get rid of quickly.

Magnus threw open the door, and glared at the five people standing before him. Shadowhunters. Terrific. So much for his relaxation day.

"What is it this time Nephilim? An out of control pixie? A werewolf steal your lunch?" Magnus said, in an uninterested manner. In truth, he was very curious about two of the visitors. They looked . . . different. The other three he knew.

"Magnus. Some friends of ours wish to speak with you. Apparently it's urgent." William Herondale said, his lip curling as he said the word _friends_.

"Do you have a moment?" James Carstairs asked, smoothly stepping forward, with half a glance to Will.

Magnus eyed them all for a moment, assessing the situation. His gaze lingered on the Warlock girl, Tessa. He pitied her. He remembered how he felt when he first learned what he was. And his parents...

Magnus sighed again, and turned back inside, beckoning them all to follow.

"This had better be good," He said over his shoulder as he lead them back to the sitting room, "I don't like to be interrupted on my Sunday mornings."

Clary and Jace glanced at each other. _Same old Magnus_.

They reached the sitting room, and all sat down, Jem and Tessa on the double couch, and Clary and Jace on armchairs. Magnus sat on the biggest and puffiest armchair, evidently his favourite spot. Will chose to stand.

"So," Magnus stated, "What is this all about?" He looked around at all of them, registering the nervous glances from the red-headed girl to the golden boy, and the tension emanating from Herondale.

"Magnus, my name is Jace Lightwood, and this is Clary Fray. We need your help. We also need to talk to you privately." Jace stated, not looking at anyone but Magnus.

Magnus slowly regarded Jace, then looked searchingly at Clary. The silence was almost eerie for a moment. Then -

"Fray. I don't recall that Shadowhunter name." He looked at Clary, and it was she who answered.

"My mother's name was Fairchild," Clary said hesitantly, "She changed her name after she... distanced herself from other Shadowhunters."

Magnus said nothing, simply gazed at her, his expression impossible to define.

"Very well," He said, after a short silence, "I will talk to you alone. We can go to the library. You three, make yourselves comfortable, I trust this will not take long." he finished, indicating that Will, Jem and Tessa stay put.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I don't trust them. They're hiding something." Will said, as soon as the sitting room door shut behind the others. He was pacing around the room, glaring suspiciously at the door every few seconds.

Jem said nothing, and didn't move except for his eyes, which followed Will as he walked.

Tessa bit her lip, deep in thought. She had rarely seen Will like this. Jumpy, and agitated. Not in control. There was something about that Jace that had thrown him, and left him unbalanced. Tessa wasn't really sure what to think about them. They didn't seem dangerous, but then neither had Mortmain. Or her brother. If she had learned one thing from the event of the last few weeks, it was that appearances could be very deceptive indeed.

"They're hiding something," Will proclaimed again, "And I intend to find out what."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Magnus, Clary and Jace entered the library, and sat down on some hard, wooden chairs around a small, dark brown table. Glancing around the library, Clary saw that is was very well stocked indeed, with floor to ceiling shelves stacked with hundreds of books of every variation. Clary noticed that there was a distinct lack of windows in this house, only one in the library, and there had been none in the sitting room. The window in this room had large, heavy drapes pulled aside to let in some light. They were a deep scarlet, and very thick. You would almost think a vampire lived in this house.

Magnus cleared his throat and said, "So, please, begin your story. I've no doubt it is riveting."

Carefully, without giving too much away, Jace began to describe what had happened, outlining the portal problems, and they're conclusion of where they were. By the time Jace had finished, Magnus still hadn't said a word, but continued to stare at them expressionlessly.

"You came from the future?" Magnus said, disbelief colouring his voice. Jace simply nodded.

"And why have you come to me?" Magnus asked.

Jace glanced at Clary before answering. "In our time, you are our friend. You help us a great deal. We thought you may have some idea of how this happened, and how we could return to where we belong."

Magnus subsided again into silence, digesting what Jace had said. Finally, he turned back to Clary and Jace. "Who created the portal the sent you here?"

They both hesitated.

"I did." Clary stated quietly.

Magnus turned and stared hard at her. "Am I missing something?" He asked. Haltingly, Clary explained her... gift. "My father - he, er - experimented - on my mother, without her knowledge, while she was pregnant with me. He gave her drinks - containing angel blood. I don't understand the exact science of it, but because of it, I can... create new runes... and - and portals."

"I see," Magnus said, his sharp cat's gaze slicing through her. "What were you thinking of while creating the portal? They can be extremely temperamental, portals. They can alter their intended destination depending on the emotions or thoughts of the one making it."

"I was entirely focussed, from what I can remember. I mean, there was nothing really on my mind, aside from the portal to Idris."

Magnus frowned, and tried again, "You weren't distracted at all? You weren't interrupted?"

"Well, I was interrupted once, just before I finished. I got a text, er, a message. It was short, from my mother. There was nothing of significance, she was just saying goodbye, she wasn't coming with us to Idris."

"And this goodbye didn't evoke any serious emotions? Nothing at all?" Magnus asked insistently.

"No, I mean, we were only going for a week, it's not like I would never see her again -" Suddenly Clary gasped, "Oh no!"

"What is it?" Both Jace and Manus asked at the same time.

"Well, I was thinking of something," Clary squirmed, "It had something to do with family, my family - and Jace's."

Jace's eyes widened, but Magnus frowned again, glancing from Jace to Clary, "What does the Lightwoods have to do with 19th Century London?" He asked.

Clary and Jace hesitated again, then Jace answered, his voice betraying no emotion, "I am only a Lightwood by adoption."

Magnus looked surprised and confused. "What is your real name then?" he asked.

"Herondale." Jace answered, his lips curved into an ugly smile, "Jonathon Christopher Herondale."


End file.
